Emergency hospital in Glasgow to be named after First World War nurse

Work is under way to establish a temporary hospital at the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow (Andrew Milligan/PA)

An emergency hospital in Glasgow to tackle the coronavirus outbreak will be named after a First World War nurse.

The facility, announced earlier this week, will be ready to open at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow in the next two weeks.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said at a briefing in the Scottish Government’s headquarters in Edinburgh on Monday that the hospital will have a capacity of 300, with the scope to increase the number of patients to 1,000 if necessary.

On Wednesday, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said it will be named after Louisa Jordan, a First World War nurse from Glasgow who lost her life in Serbia.

The temporary hospital being created at the SEC will be named the NHS Louisa Jordan. Louisa was born in Maryhill and served as a nurse with the Scottish Women’s Hospital in Serbia during WW1. You can learn more about this inspiring woman here https://t.co/rsPVBePQW9

In response to a question from MSP George Adam about the name of the hospital, she said: “The name that has been chosen for that hospital is the NHS Louisa Jordan.

“That is in honour of Louisa Jordan, who was born in Maryhill, joined the Scottish Women’s Hospital in 1914, served in Serbia during the First World War and was the daughter of a painter.

“She cared particularly for typhus patients but unfortunately contracted that disease and died herself at the age of 36 and is remembered every year in Serbia for the care and commitment she gave to them.”

Ms Freeman added: “It is very good indeed that she will now be remembered in her native Glasgow.”

The move comes after the temporary hospital at the Excel Centre in London was named the NHS Nightingale Hospital, after famed nurse Florence Nightingale.

Help support quality local journalism … become a digital subscriber to the Evening Telegraph

For as little as £5.99 a month you can access all of our content, including Premium articles.